Locomotive booster apparatus



F. W. MARTE'N LOCOMQTIVE BOOSTER APPARATUS Sept. 27, 1927.

Filed June 18, 1925 drilling/rl IN VEN TOR y MM A TT ORNE Y Patented Sept. '27, 1927. S

ni'rsn STATES PATENT oFF ICE.

.FREDERICK W. MARTIN, OF BRONXVILLE', NEW YORK, -ASSIGNOR TO FRANKLIN RAIL- VAY SUPPLY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

LoooMoTIvE BOOSTER APPARATUS.

Application led .Tune `18, 1925.A Serial No. 37,891.

This invention relates to llocomotive booster apparatus more-particularly. to certainv speciiic improvements in the controlling apparatus for such a. motor.

Booster' motors, as is, now Well under'- stood in this art, are arranged to drive Weight supporting Wheels Which would otherwise lbe idle in so far as propelling the locomotive is concerned.' These Wheels may be on an axle located either on the locomotive oron 4the tender. Entraining mechanism is provided so that the booster can be connected to the axle when it is desired to use it and disconnected from the axle.

when its period of operation comes to an end. i

Tith the foregoing in mind the objects of my invention Will be better understood. They include theprovision of entraining mechanism which, although useful Wherever a booster is to be entrained, is particularlyerable distance from the supply of steam ony a locomotive; and finally the provision of an entraining mechanism which is operated b y air pressure from the brake pipe of the train. Y ,j

The foregoing Itogether With such other objects as may appear hereinafter or are incident to my inventiony I obtain by means of a construction which is illustrated in preferred form in the accompanying drawing,

' wherein the single figure is a diagram of'a booster apparatus involving orl embodying my improvements. It will be understood. of course, that the parts illustrated on this 'diagrain are not arranged ink theirI actual .relation to each other but in a `functional relation. i .c

The booster motor 1 is arranged to ,drive the axle 2 thru the medium of the gear 3 fixed to the axle, the movable .idler gear L and thedriving pinion v5 which latter' is rotated by the pistons (not illustrated)v in the vbooster cylinders 6.*The idler gear 4 is mounted for movement upon the pivotv 7 which is the pivotal point of support for whatv is known in the art as the entraining f rockerv 8. The gear l is alivaysin mesh with the ypinion 5 and by throwing lthe rocker 8 to the right on the pivot 7 it is possible to mesh the idlery gear '4: with the gear 3 fixed to the axle 2. l Y

Steam is supplied to the booster cylinders thru the conduit 9 in which is located a pisl ton valve 10 and in the position indicated in the diagram this valve 10 blocks olf or prevents the ovv of steam for operating the booster. There is comparatively small capacity by-pass preferably in the shape of the groove 11 around this valve 10 for the purpose of idling the booster motor priorto for during,entrainment of the gears.

- The valve 10 is fixed to the rod 12 of a piston 13.v in the cylinder 1 4. In the figure the rod 12 is shown as broken for convenience in illustration but it is actually connected to the rocking member Sby means of the eye 15 which embraces the pin 16 on the rocking member.

v The piston 13 is shown in its retracted position With theidler gear et out of mesh as already described but upon introduction of pressure to the face of the piston'l?)` `it Will swing the rocker to the right and en.- train the gears and at the same time move the valve 10 to uncover the conduit 9 and permit full -loiv ofoperating steam pressure through such conduit, The piston 13 operates against the spring 17 and theroclrer 8 is gravity loadedy by virtue of the Weight 18. 'Y

Normally, of course, the valye 10 is inthe position illustrated in the fignre yso that `operating lsteamv cannot pass to the booster. At a point in the conduit 9 in advance of the valve 1,0, e., on the side from-which the steam supply comes, small pipe A19 is tapped into the Yconduit 9.k This ipe con.- neots `with the cylinder 2O and W en pressure existsin the conduit 9 it will ,force the piston 21L against the pressure of the lspring 22 te the left and ythereby' seatvalve 23 and unseat valvel 24, .the-former closing theex- 26, chamber .27,` chamber 28 and pipe 29. The piston 13 will then be moved to entrain the gear 4 as described and move the valve so as to permit flow of operating fluid thru the conduit 9.V

The brake pipe is, of cour-se, the o rdinaryvbralre pipe now universally used in railroad practice and it will, therefore, be seen that I have provided a very convenient apparatus for causing entrainment of the booster Without the necessity of any fluid pressure lines from the locomotive back to the tenderfivhen t-he boosteris applied to a truck under the tender, the only pipe necessary being the steam supply pipe 9. Y

The steam supply pipe 9 is preferably connected to 4the valve chest ofthe locomotive so that it receives steam only after the locomotive throttle has been opened. In the pipe 9 isthe booster throttle 30 which. is opened bythe piston 3l upon introduction of pressure thru the pipe 32. The pipe 321s subject to the control of the reverse lever t. pilot valve 33 in the manner now Well understood in this art so that brief mention only will be .made in this application. Vhen the reverse lever 34 is moved into thecorner of the quadrant andthe booster latch 36 is properly manipulated to engage the pivoted member 37 airpressure will flowthru the' conduit 32 and the reverse lever pilot valve i 33 Will be in open position. By cutting back the reverse lever 34 or manipulating the booster latch 36 the valve in the reverse lever pilot valve 33 can be closed to stop theilow of air through the pipe 32. The booster throttle 3() will then close, a

' Apreliminary small quantity of steam is supplied to the booster through the pipe 38 which taps into the pipe 9,!said pipe 38 being underithecontrol of the preliminary throttle valve 39. The restricted opening 40 is of less capacity than the small by-pass 11 in the valve 10 so that when preliminaryk steam is admitted to the conduit 9 it cannot build up suiiicientlyto move the piston 21 to openthe valve 24. In other Words there is a small quantity or a relatively small quantity of steam flowing to slowly rotate or idle the booster motor and this idling is under the direction and control of the engineer thru the medium of the handle 4l and slide valve 42. In the position indicated the slide valve 42 permits the Vusual driving operation ofthe booster because pressure from the reservoir 43 flows into the valve chamber 44 and dovvn into the pipe 32 as clearly illustrated. But bymovingthehandle 41 to the left the valve 42 will close communication with pipe 32 and open communication With the pipe 45. Air pressure can then reach the piston 46 to open the preliminary throttle valve 39 asdescribed.

`lhecheck valve 47 permitsuse ofthe preliminary throttle at the Sametime as the main throttle is being operated but'prevents operation of the main throttle when only the preliminary steam is desired. In other Words under normal operation it isgdesired `to Vhave the preliminaryysteam idle the booster motor during entrainment thereof and this is accomplished by permitting air pressure from the pipe 32 to pass the check l valve 47, enter pipe 45 and raise thepi'ston 46 to open the preliminary throttle valve. But Aivhen it is desired to idle Vthe booster motor the ycheck valve 47 will prevent operation of the main booster throttle 30.

The check valve 48Will prevent'flow of air thru the pipe 45 in the direction opposite yto thatduring the time that idling operation is taking place. p

`The source Vof steam supply for the pipe SSis different from that for thepipe 9 so that idling pressurerof steam can be available'at all times Whether or not the-locomovtive throttle is open. I

It should be noted that the handle 4l is preferably gravity loaded so that the valve 42 willbe held in a position Which establishescommunication with the pipe 32. p I claim i 1. The combination of a normally disentrained locomotive booster motor7 a conduit for supplying said motor With operating steam, an air pressure actuated entraining mechanism for themotor, and a valve normally closing the steam supply conduit which valve is adapted to be opened directly by the motion of the entraining mechanism when the booster is entrained.

2; The combination of a normally disentrained locomotive booster motor, a conduit for supplying said motor with operating steam, a motor device for entrainiug the booster, and a valve normally closing said conduit, said valve being adapted to be opened directly by the motion of said motor device `when the booster is entrained.

3. The combination of a normally disentrained locomotivebooster motor, air pressure actuated entraining `mechanism therefor, a conduit for supplying said mechanism with airpressure, a conduit for supplying the booster with steam, and a valve normally closing said air supply conduit but adapted to be opened by pressure of steam in the steam supply conduit.

4. The combination of a normally disentrained locomotive booster motor, air .pressure actuated entraining mechanism therefor, a conduit for supplying said mechanism With air" pressure, a conduit for supplying the booster with steam, said entraining mechanism being adapted to prevent flow of steam throughsaid conduit to the booster "until after` entrainment is accomplished, and `a valve .normally closing said air supply conduit but adapted to be opened by pressure of steam in the steamsupply conduit in advance of the point of control exercised by tlie entraining' mechanism.

5. rIhe combination With the brake pipe of a train, of a normally disentrained, steam operated7 locomotive booster motor, means actuated by pressure from the brake pipe for entrainiiig said motor and means actuated by the pressure of the steam goingy to the booster for controllingl the liow of entraine 10 ingpressure.

6. The combination with the brake pipe ol a train, of a normally disentrainedloco-L booster Witli` steam, and means' subject to the pressure-of steam in said conduit for controlling the flow of brake pipe pressure to the entraining means.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto-20 signed my name.

FREDERICK WV. MARTIN. 

